Nothing has surprised me since Rick Warren was invited to speak at the Inauguration.

[Lex]

Knocked my rose-colored glasses right off.

When was your moment?

[graywarrior]

1. Reading GD & GDP for the past months.

Really disturbing and sort of vile.

[leftstreet]

2. I've been flummoxed since Ted Kennedy endorsed Obama

I was really surprised because I just assumed it was Hillary's for the taking.

Everything went on tilt from there.

[Starry Messenger]

3. That was my moment too.

Game over.

[Fumesucker]

4. When Obama gave an hour long speech on race in America

And never mentioned that one in three black males will end up in prison.

That to me is the single most startling fact about race in America today.

[Thickasabrick]

5. That's tough....been so many.....how about when they defended the

DOMA in court? That was my first inkling.

[Fumesucker]

6. Dupe, self delete..

[Bluebear]

7. McClurkin, who turned out to be just the opening act. Then Warren & adopting Bush wiretapping

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123638765474658467.html

[Sapphocrat]

28. +1

:loveya:

[QC]

35. Pony! Poutrage! Magic wand! Turning the big ship around!

Lovely to see you again!

[DJ13]

8. Naming Summers as advisor and Geithner as Treasury Secretary

I voted for Obama instead of Hillary to get AWAY from those kinds of pro Wall Street people.

I got played for a fool.

[polichick]

9. The choice of Rahm was one moment, but I also found the Warren decision...

...extremely disturbing - it showed how desperate he was to be accepted by his enemies, and how much he took his supporters for granted.

[saracat]

10. The active pursuit of Rahm Emmanuel as COS.

[Neecy]

11. That was my moment as well

After all of the time, money and energy I put into the Obama campaign the Warren invitation was like a slap in the face. I still don't understand why he did it. He effectively disenfranchised us from his Inaugural (but not the parade, because all homos love a parade! Talk about a double slap in the face).

Nothing has surprised me since, either. For all of the scoffing at Hillary's and McCain's experience (and I was one of the scoffers) it does matter. This guy is a total amateur and it shows.

[closeupready]

20. "total amateur and it shows" - yes, that has been apparent to me from the get-go.

Which doesn't mean an amateur can't be a successful president - it's just that I don't think Obama wants it that bad.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Tony Rezko.

Reverend Wright.

Greek columns at the convention.

Endangered Chilean sea bass.

DVD gifts.

Manhandling the Queen.

Failing to do anything about chemtrails.

Lead in Michelle's garden.

Muslin jihagis.

Plagiarism.

General uppityness.

Calling that police officer stupid.

Winning that Nobel prize.

[Lex]

15. Not surprised at your list.

Typical for you.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lex]

24. thanks for keeping my thread bumped

and demonstrating your IQ for everyone

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. You're welcome.

And when it comes to intelligent posts, between me and you I'm not too concerned.

[Starry Messenger]

39. I don't know anyone who thinks you are smart.

That's a fiction you've invented.

[leeroysphitz]

51. Ouch. n/t

[QC]

56. That's a damned lie!

His mommy tells him he's just the smartest little feller in the whole world every time she comes down the stairs with a fresh bag of Cheez Doodles.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

59. The things you don't know could fill a library.

[Starry Messenger]

60. Oh honey.

Oh god, I'm laughing so hard I almost choked on pizza. Is that your version of clever??? Shit, my DAD says that. I guess that's a really cutting insult on the AOL chat rooms where I'm sure you rule with an iron fist.

:rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

61. Listen, you and I could trade insults until the cows come home.

But I'll still be me, and you'll still be you.

So... I win.

:shrug:

[Starry Messenger]

62. I've had wittier exchanges in my high school classes.

:D Just work on some new material. Bob Hope is dead.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

64. You've got some real rejoinders yourself there, Groucho.

I'm devastated. I haven't seen such a one-sided onslaught since Lance Armstrong beat Max Cleland at handball.

[Starry Messenger]

65. Why waste my best material?

I'm just in here replying because it's keeping the thread kicked.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

66. Yes, you sure showed me.

Now everybody gets to see this thread about how you people have hated Obama since before he was even president, and now your opinions about current events are still valid for some reason.

[Starry Messenger]

67. QQ moar!!!!111111

:D

[LooseWilly]

68. Uhh... "But I'll still be me, and I'll still be you." ??

Is that supposed to be a Zen Koan? Or is it just schizophrenia manifesting itself?...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

71. Only if "Zen Koan" is a typo for "typo."

[Jackeens]

54. ..

[QC]

13. The McClurkin fiasco.

That showed me that Obama was perfectly comfortable with cynically catering to murderous bigotry in order to score political points.

That's quite a contrast to all his fluffy bunny rhetoric about inclusion, isn't it?

[Bluebear]

14. They even revived "poutrage"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7124274#7124435

[QC]

21. Lots of ponies frolicking around here, too. n/t

[lies and propaganda]

16. McClurkin and Kirby Job Caldwell as well.

he was appealing to the worst of people then. I spent the entire night feeling robbed of the victory i worked so hard for because of Prop 8 and his silent acceptance of this homophobic bullshit.

[closeupready]

17. I'm not sure there was an aha moment - I do think his failure to support a public option

more strongly clinched it for me. Had he done that, we'd have had a public option. The HCR as it stands is HIS failure.

[DURHAM D]

18. His Illinois state senate voting (or lack thereof) record.

Nothing he has done has surprised me.

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. The appointment of Geithner and Summers

[Blue_In_AK]

23. I haven't been too surprised by anything.

I was always in the "skeptical" camp.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. I knew he was a centrist from the word go

why I did not support him during the primaries.

Oh and I expect the primary war warriors to come out of the woodwork with this.

But nothing has surprised me... NOTHING.

[Bluenorthwest]

27. McClurkin! This told me many, many things

None of them good.

[MNDemNY]

29. When he decided to be disingenuous as to his Iraq war stance.

He did say once that he "did not know" how he would have voted had he been in the Senate at the time of the vote. During the election he played it off as if he would have voted no. This, IMO was very disingenuous. His voting record in the Senate, and his actions,(and inactions) as President further bare this out.Right of center corporatist who tries to play all sides.

[Oregone]

30. If anything surprises you, you haven't been paying attention for years

[Lex]

32. I didn't say anything surprises me.

But thanks.

[Romulox]

31. I knew as soon as Austan Goolsbee was named his campaign's economic adviser

Of course, being caught red handed lying to American people didn't help, either. :hi:

[katandmoon]

33. Turning his back on Rev. Wright, his long time pastor, as soon as Wright caused controversy.

[Individualist]

34. It was when he began surrounding himself with DLCers and Bush holdovers

as soon as he was elected.

[Peace_Sells]

36. Same here.

Same for me.

[Initech]

37. AIG spending all the bailout money on executive bonuses.

[Greyhound]

38. About a week after he delivered the 2004 convention speech.

He had a meeting with the "holy trinity" of the party, and he rhetoric turned 180 degrees. I told Ms. Greyhound right then, "He's going to be the next nominee". He had no record, so he was better qualified than Clinton, and he's going to "play ball" with the parasites.

[juno jones]

40. Personally I think it's a case of 'Welcome to the Machine'

This administration has really brought home the feeling that it doesn't really matter who is president and what they say before they are elected. Once in, they are obliged to dance with the partners who brought 'em installing the corporatist party's picks for cabinet, appointments, etc regardless of personal preference.

This clearly illustrtates that the office of the president has become a figurehead position, managed by political cabals behind the scenes. We would have pretty much the same cabinet had Hillary gotten in. The holdover Bushies retained in certain spheres is also evidence that the fix is in. They are there because the party heads and the corporations want them there. Simply put, no one can reach that office without becoming tainted by it. I'm saddened to see it happen to Obama, he seems like a good guy, but c'est la vie. I thought I had no illusions left but they keep being stripped from me.

The only thing we can do to improve this situation is election reform. But since the people who must legislate this are in thrall to the system, I doubt this will ever happen.

[walldude]

43. Bingo... Campaign finance reform and lobbying reform or we are

never going to get out from under the grip of corporate America.

[Raine]

78. On point totally

I'm seeing this very clearly and so depressed and disallusioned about it, it's been a real eye opener. :-(

edit: typo

[krabigirl]

41. Nothing has surprised me at all, since the primaries. It was all about bipartisanship.

[vaberella]

42. Why did I have a flash of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" when I read some of the posts here?

But they're far from beautiful for me. If you have issues with the President...where he resembles Bush3, is Bush-lite, is making the nation worst, is a corporatist, socialist, in love with Rezko---and whatever else----don't canvas for him and don't vote for him next time. To you he's disappointment and failure. This thread seems to be for people to lick some "indignant" wounds sounds like a pity party as though Obama is all of the above I listed----ugh. For fuck's sake.

[Bluebear]

45. 'But their far from beautiful- Yeah, they ir, um the irr, how do you conjugate that?

[Individualist]

48. I'm wondering what a "petty party" is.

A NASCAR alumni party? :shrug:

[vaberella]

57. Pardon my spelling...I'll fix them if they're hard to read. Since apparently they are. n/t

[Lex]

46. Got it.

That was awesome.

[QC]

50. Shouldn't you be freshening up the flowers on the shrine? n/t

[Starry Messenger]

52. Please don't take Cyndi's name in vain.

Especially since she uses that song to create awareness for gay rights. *wince*

[Prism]

44. The defense of DOMA

That was my "Oh shit . . ." moment. I gave him every benefit of the doubt before that - to the point of loud arguments in the GLBT forum - but that action was so inexcusable, the response so tone-deaf and insensitive, that ever since I have never regarded a single one of his speeches without vast reserves of cynicism and disbelief. The power was broken. It's funny seeing so many waiting on their tippy toes for the President's Afghanistan speech. They think the rhetorical power will sway people once again.

It won't. That trick is all over. The Health-Care Reform speech that wasn't should've driven a stake into that.

Since then, it's been one long slide. Ah, those halcyon summer days where even the fiercest propagandists cried out "We will have a strong public option!"

Until we didn't. But that's ok. There will be new rationales that turn on whatever is politically convenient at the time.

[Marr]

47. Nothing has surprised me about Obama since his huge media debut in 2004.

Remember the 2004 Democratic Convention, when all the talking heads were abuzz about the Democratic Party's new "star"? I wrote him off then, personally. Anyone who could be universally praised in the corporate media as the 'future of the Democratic Party' was bound to be a Wall Street tool.

[jonnyblitz]

49. when he chose Lieberman over Lamont in 2006 CT DEM

primary. :puke:

[arcadian]

53. I knew he was going to be the corporate/war candidate back in the primaries.

That's why I didn't vote for him. I did HOPE he wouldn't be though.

[tonysam]

55. I always knew Obama was a neoliberal at heart,

even more to the right than former president Clinton, but I did my research on him during the primaries, so nothing surprises me. I didn't swallow the media "rock star" hype.

Paul Street wrote a book about Obama from the "left" called "Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics," which was one source, but one didn't need to look at any "biased" sources to know where the president was coming from. He never hid his neoliberal leanings.

The absolute worst thing about him is his war on public education; it is much worse than the GOP ever could have done. It takes a Democrat to destroy a once-great institution and a pillar of democracy.

What I am afraid of is he will wind up being a one-term president, and then we will be really screwed over.

[branders seine]

58. The day in November when he annointed Summers

and selected Geithner was my day to get the specs decked.

[DireStrike]

63. Yeah, that tempered my hope right quick as well.

[slackmaster]

69. Nixon

He's still the one.

[LooseWilly]

70. Warren, DADT shelving, DOMA defense, Continuation of indefinite detentions...

willingness to include a mandate while weakening the public option... making a point of re-iterating his lack of support for same sex marriage in his response to Iowa's passing it... Disinterest in even appointing an independent counsel to investigate blatant abuses of the constitution & the law by the Bush administration... defying a court order to release photos under FOIA...


It all just adds up like mercury in the bloodstream...

[scarletwoman]

72. I had nagging doubts all along, but Rahm Emmanuel was my breaking point.

The problem for me was, once it came down to Obama or Clinton, I *knew* I didn't want another Clinton in the White House -- dragging a bunch of recycled DLC neoliberals along with her. I decided to throw my lot in with Obama, thinking that maybe he'd bring in some new blood.

Silly me.

As soon as Rahm Emmanuel was announced as Chief of Staff, I realized that I'd been punked, big time. Obama was going to be Bill Clinton redux, after all. Only now I'm thinking that he may be even worse, with all his "bipartisan" bullshit.

Oh well. I've been cynical about the whole political process for many years. I wanted to be able to give "hope" a chance, but I knew it was the longest of long shots. It wasn't that hard to clear the few whisps of emotional smoke from my eyes once the reality of appointments like Emmanuel, Summers and Geithner set in.

We're as fucked as ever by the corporatocracy. Obama is not only going NOT going to save us, he's delivering us further into its ravening maw.

sw

[Lex]

73. I wanted Obama too. I sent money, voted for him in the Primaries, everything.

I really had high hopes. I guess that's my fault.

[Bluebear]

74. That was the audacity of what was done to our hopes.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

75. well, you got that right

and that Warren dude looks like a real perv!

[Raine]

76. Van Jones ...

under the bus. :mad:

[Kitsune]

77. Rick Warren pissed me off, but it wasn't that that soured me on Obama.

I figured it was more of his blind spot for religious insanity or some poorly thought-out sop to the right wing in hopes to quiet them. I was willing to give him time to realize that these nutbars are pure cultural poison.

I think it was about when the DOMA brief came out that compared gay marriage to incest and child molestation, or perhaps sometime around the health care debate where he simply refused to get off his ass and fight for actual reform in lieu of a fucking bailout to the health insurance mafia... Probably one of those two.

I've said it in a number of threads, but Obama and the Democrats in Congress have crushed the hope out of me when eight years of Bush and Republicans was not sufficient to do so. For the first time in my life I am seriously considering not voting because I no longer see any point. I vote for Democrats and get crypto-Republican governance. I don't think that this really conveys how forceful and complete the destruction of my faith in this country is. I have never missed a single election in my entire life. I was excited when I got a summons for jury duty. And I am no longer certain that there is any point to further participation in civic responsibilities such as these. In my current estimation, the entire system is irretrievably poisoned and corrupt.